Catherine+Stange

On August 21, 1923, 32-year-old Catherine Stange died in Denver of septicemia due to an abortion blamed on Dr. Daniel R. Lucy. This was quite the scandal, since in addition to being a doctor, Lucy was a city councilman.

His high position also meant that he was given warning of his pending arrest for second degree murder, to give him time to arrange bail.

Lucy's only comment to the press after being told of the charge against him was to note that he was not surpirsed, that this was what he had expected from the coroner's jury. He was later acquitted of the charges.

Keep in mind that things that things we take for granted, like antibiotics and blood banks, were still in the future. For more about abortion in this era, see [|Abortion in the 1920s].

For more on pre-legalization abortion, see [|The Bad Old Days of Abortion]

Source:
 * "Doctor Held as Murderer", //Associated Press//, Aug. 23, 1923
 * "Late News from All Over Colorado", //Haswell Herald//, Nov. 1, 1923

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